Huntington's disease is a degenerative, neurological disease that is almost exclusively inherited from a parent. It is believed that about 30,000 people in the United States currently have Huntington's disease (HD) and about 150,000 are at risk of having inherited the disease from a parent. Individuals who are at risk of developing Huntington's disease inherit a mutated HD gene from a parent that codes for a protein now known as a mutated huntingtin protein. The HD gene is located on chromosome 4 and is characterized by an expanded trinucleotide repeat made up of cytosine, adenine and guanine (CAG). HD is an autosomal dominant disorder. Specifically the HD gene is located on a nonsex-linked chromosome, which means that men and women are equally at risk of inheriting the HD gene and, if the gene is inherited from just one of either parent, the inheriting individual will inevitably develop the disease.
HD is generally difficult to treat and individuals having HD suffer symptoms including brain tissue loss, weight loss, decreased cognitive ability loss of motor function, and several others. Physicians have often struggled to control and minimize these symptoms.
Accordingly, a need exists for a better understanding of HD. A further need exists for an effective treatment for HD as well as methods and compositions to reduce the symptoms associated with HD.